Drawn in Black

Self Portrait (No. 12 / B5 Series) by Matt W Moore

Although it would seem that Matt W. Moore is currently better known for his color work – he just had a feature article about him in Computer Arts Magazine in which he discusses his Vectorfunk style – I love this guy’s black and white art.  He explores different shapes and uses clear and crisp lines.  I am particularly impressed with his mandalas (drawing these myself) and how well they are executed for the fact that they are hand-drawn (as opposed to using Illustrator as his the case for many of his color works).

Matt just released B5 (from which these images are taken), a collection of black and white prints available for purchase, to complement Alphafont 3.0, a font type exploration done in color.  This guy kicks ass so check out his website MWM Graphics, his blog, or follow him on Twitter.

No. 19 (B5 Series) by Matt W Moore

No. 20 (B5 Series) by Matt W Moore

No. 23 (B5 Series) by Matt W Moore

"Ms. February" Line Art by Brian Ewing

Man am I glad that I checked out Brian Ewing’s Flickr page.  While there are plenty of sick drawings on his website and blog, the real action is on Flickr.  Ewing is an illustrator who pumps out amazing illustrations for band T-Shirts, posters, magazines, skateboards, etc.  For those of you who like the skull and, more broadly, tattoo aesthetic, you’ll get your fill here.

The real treasure trove, beyond the pictures themselves, are the tutorials and how-to’s that Ewing has put together on his Flickr account.  Detailing every step of the way (minus colors) of how he’s arrived at some of his most memorable work, including, for example, the cover of I Want Your Skull #5, you get a really intimate look at the whole end-to-end creative process.  There are lots of little tips that simple invaluable to the new artist – for example, don’t tape down your drawing but move it to preserve the motion of your hand and wrist.  If you want to know how a professional does what he does, you simple must check these out.

Of course you’d also be doing Ewing a favor by buying some of his stuff.  Really, you should.

3 more images below the jump.

Read more »

Organic Abstract No 1 by Michael Herring

Michael Herring is an artist both from Des Moines, Iowa, and Joliet, Illinois—home of the Blues Brothers if I’m not mistaken.  Looking through Mike’s work I had a hard time picking anything out, there are just so many good drawings.  Besides the fluid, organic abstractings that are thus aptly named, I quite enjoy the meeting, as it were, of the modern day cubicle desk jockey and the grim skulls that seem to be eating the poor lads alive.  Unfortunately, I can relate.  Many of the many drawings are done in black, blue, and red, making me wish I had a pair of 3D glasses.

Although Mr. Herring has a “Drawing & Painting” section on his website, you want to check out his blog.  You can either just browse the “Drawing” category for his many drawings, but you must also check out his sweet paintings.  If you happen to live in Boulder, Colorado, check out his show.

4 more images below the jump.

Read more »

Decomposition of Memory by Colin Harbut

Colin Harbut is definitely one talented artist.  In his many portraitures, I feel that the essence of the subject is really conveyed and comes across in his works.  The above “Decomposition of Memory” is fascinating and tackles a topic unfortunately taboo in our society: old age.  He’s also made a statement with his work “24,000″ in which he literally drew 24,000 circles to visualize the number of people who die each day of hunger-related issues.

You can find much more his work on his website, ColinHarbut.com.

3 more images below the jump.

Read more »

Hare’s by Andrea Joseph

You can tell by her drawings that Andrea is a keen observer of the world around her.  On her many “collages” and moleskin sketches she somehow brings to life the little objects that fill our lives.  Once you really take a moment to study these drawings (she provides large versions of her drawings on her website) you realize just how time-consuming these must be.  I imagine creating these works must be a sort of meditation, but that’s just speculation on my part.  Certainly worth a closer look, especially if you’re a fan of moleskin sketches.  You can check her out over at Andrea Joseph’s Sketchblog, which she regulary updates.

3 images more after the jump.

Read more »

Untitled No. 33 by Richard Colman

Vomit, decapitation, lewd sexual acts — what’ s not to like?  While all these are in fact exhibited in the works of Richard Colman, raunchy or offensive would certainly not be adjectives to describe his work.  It is rather an uncomfortable world that he portrays, one in which its characters are seemingly dominated by each other and the world itself, one in which hopelessness reigns supreme (or maybe it’s just me).  Remarkably, he works in watercolor, surprising given the fact straight lines and flat surfaces of his paintings.  Richard hail from Bethesda (which I used to live quite close to for four years) but is now part of the LA scene.

You can check out more of his work on his website, RichardColmanArt.com.

4 more images after the jump.

Read more »

Most Wretched Mess by Skinner

Skinner’s art is wonderfully trippy and dark, with a good dose of social critique.  Apparently viewing some of his color work through 3D glasses makes things actually look 3D!  Definitely check out more of his sick work at The Art of Skinner.

2 more below the jump.

Read more »

Ah, the skull. Universal and visceral, fascinating and beautiful. Symbolic of those most basic themes: life and death. We find it in pop culture, occult ritual, on shoulders worldwide; most importantly, we find it in ourselves. No wonder we see it over and over in the world of art. It is mystical… perhaps we look for answers about the life after death in the bony visage of the skull.

Whatever the case, at the end of day, skulls are pretty cool! Which is exactly why I set out to put together of a haphazard list of drawings, photos, tutorials & how-tos, videos, and illustrations dealing with the human skull.

I hope it proves useful to you and inspires you as it has me. So without further ado, categorized by what seemed to make sense, skulls:

• Anatomical Studies of Skulls
• How-to’s and tutorials on drawing skulls
• Stylized Skulls
• Photo references of Skulls
• Websites devoted to skulls

Enjoy!

Anatomical Studies of Skulls

Skull Left Lateral Index from Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body

Read more »

Los Angeles, Self Portrait Sketch by Shawn Barber

If you like tattoo art, you’ll love Shawn Barber.  As his website states: “Shawn Barber’s body of work focuses primarily on painting, portraiture and documenting contemporary tattoo culture.”  Barber’s many paintings focus on artists, specifically artists with tattoos.  He goes around the world to meet and document them, an experience which he later turns into the painting.  If you’re looking to get a tattoo, you might find some inspiration here!  Also don’t forget to check out “Studio Visit: Shawn Barber and Henry Lewis” over at Fecal Face.

More below the jump.

Read more »

“Brutality” by Jeremy Fish

Known for his skulls and silly pink bunnies, Jeremy Fish is a skateboarder and enterprising illustrator living in San Francisco. His work is funny and odd: a surreal blend of tattoo and graffiti imagery.  Beside skateboards, t-shirts, hoodies, and ashtrays, Fish has also designed a Nike sneaker, painted a room of the Hotel Des Artes in San Francisco, and designed an album cover for Aesop Rock.  His clothing line is superFishal.

For t-shirts by Fish check out Umbrella Market and let me know if you can find an XL “Brutality” tee anywhere – it seems to be all sold out, argh.

More pics below the jump.

Read more »